Mercedes-Benz Group customers are being urged to claim for emissions cheating following Volkswagen Group (XETRA:VOW)'s settlement with UK customers over 'Dieselgate'.
Consumer protection law firm Hagens Berman EMEA said in a statement that it is urging Mercedes customers affected to register their claims after the out-of-court settlement that Volkswagen reached with its UK customers yesterday.
“Now is the time for those affected by Mercedes’ emissions-cheating scandal to sign up and register their claims,” said Steve Berman, co-managing director of Hagens Berman EMEA.
“Given the Volkswagen settlement, consumers affected by the same cheating carried out by Mercedes should act now.”
Volkswagen settled with British customers over the so-called ‘Dieselgate’ scandal out of court to avoid a costly and lengthy trial, according to a statement.
The Germany-based automaker agreed to pay £193 mln to 91,000 claimants (around £2,100 each) in England and Wales in connection with emissions cheating, law firm Slater and Gordon, which sat on the court steering committee for the case, said on Wednesday.
The settlement related to claims that surfaced in 2015 relating to Volkswagen’s use of two-mode software in some of its vehicles that used the EA189 diesel engine.
Volkswagen apologised to its customers for using the software.
Philip Haarmann, Chief Legal Officer of Volkswagen, said: “The Volkswagen Group (XETRA:VOW) is pleased that we have been able to conclude this long-running litigation in England and Wales.
"The settlement is another important milestone as the Volkswagen Group (XETRA:VOW) continues to move beyond the deeply regrettable events leading up to September 2015.”
According to the statement, the carmaker judged the legal costs of litigating the case in a six-month UK trial, followed by further appeals, made a settlement “the most prudent course of action commercially”.
However, Volkswagen indicated that the resolution was not an admission of guilt on its part.
The statement read: “No admissions in respect of liability, causation or loss have been made by any of the defendants in the group action as part of the settlement.
The group action claims were brought by co-lead law firms Slater and Gordon and Leigh Day, which were appointed by the court to spearhead a steering committee for the Volkswagen case.
Slater & Gordon said a separate payment is being made towards the claimants’ legal costs and fees and that the sum will be distributed by the claimants’ firms.
In 2020, Volkswagen’s board approved an €830mln settlement proposal with the Federation of German Consumer Organisations over the scandal to satisfy customers in its home country.
VW shares were down 0.54% this morning, trading at €146.94 at 11:30am.